Plant-Based Milk And Meat Are Now Mainstream In Europe, Report Finds

Despite a difficult period for the food industry, plant-based products are now mainstream in key European markets

24th October 2024

3 Minutes Read

A new analysis by the Good Food Institute (GFI) reveals that plant-based products like milk and meat alternatives are now mainstream staples in the UK, Spain, and Germany.

GFI also reported overall growth in plant-based sales of 5.5 percent across six key European countries between 2022 and 2023, where they reached EUR €5.4 billion last year. As well as the UK, Spain, and Germany, these countries include France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

The plant-based non-profit and think tank analyzed previously unpublished Circana retail sales data to produce its recent summary, and noted that Europe’s plant-based growth continues despite a particularly “turbulent period” for the food industry overall.

Thirty-seven percent of households in Germany, 33 percent in the UK, and 19 percent in Spain purchased plant-based meat at least once last year. Over 33 percent of households in Germany and the UK and 40 percent in Spain bought plant-based milk at least once.

Certain categories are also making further progress towards price parity with animal products, a long-awaited benchmark of success for the sector. For example, brand-name plant-based cream products are typically cheaper than dairy in the UK, while Germany’s private-label plant-based milk is 13 percent cheaper than equivalent private-label dairy milk.

Policymakers and manufacturers should ‘invest in innovation and infrastructure’ for plant-based foods

The chart breaks down plant-based sales from 2023 by category — The Good Food Institute Breaking down 2023’s plant-based sales by category, GFI found that milk and drinks make up a significant 41 percent of the total

Certain smaller categories continued to expand, outcompeting the growth rate of even well-established and dominant products. For example, sales of plant-based cream grew by 24 percent and vegan cheese by seven percent. Meanwhile, alternative seafood sales grew by 10 percent in Germany and the UK. Plant-based yogurt sales grew across all six countries.

“Our analysis finds that lower prices and higher quality can power the growth of these more sustainable options, so policymakers and manufacturers should continue to invest in innovation and infrastructure to develop tastier, more affordable products capable of building a diversified, resilient, and healthy European food system,” said GFI Europe’s research and resource manager Helen Breewood.